Exercise w/Flu-like Symptoms?

During mild illness, exercise can make you feel better.

Keep things going, but monitor yourself a bit more closely and stop if you start feeling bad.

Also, find some little vitamin C candies and eat a couple everyday. Or, just eat a grapefruit. I like grapefruit. (Each one has a 100% DV of C.)

If it is the real deal flu you won’t even make it through your entire routine. If it is a cold then I say ok to exercise lightly, but I would not exercise in lieu of rest and sleep. If you are tired let your body rest, that is when you do a lot of healing.

I would be alert to the neck stiffness and check your temp. My suggestion would be to lay off the exercise for a few days and do what JLeslie suggests.

Not to mention if you exercise at a gym the altruistic thing to do is stay home, because you are in the most contagious stage of an illness. Do some exercise at home and save everyone else from being exposed.

@gailcalled 5 golden scalpels for you. Yes, the neck stiffness and warm face (?fever) are concerning. They certainly can be a feature of the flu, but other more serious illnesses like bacterial and viral meningitis also have those symptoms. If you develop a headache, fever and worsening neck stiffness, or have a body rash, go to the ER immediately.

As others have said, if this is the flu, you will probably feel worse before you feel better. More importantly, from a public health standpoint, it would be prudent to stay home if you can (as @JLeslie said).

I think the scary neck stiffness is when you can’t touch your chin to your chest…is that right Shilolo? That means possible meningitis?

@JLeslie That, and not being able to turn your head, is what the textbooks say, but patient’s don’t read or follow the textbook. Any amount of neck stiffness in the right setting would be a red flag.

@shilolo: Looking at you in that suit and contemplating the 90˚ heat here, I am experiencing a corporeal hot flash.

do not eat the grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice if you are taking any prescription medicine.

@filmfann: Good thinking. I had forgotten about that.